Escaping the Society
by dramaprincess15
Summary: Sequel to my story the Demon and the Fairykind. Kendra and Gavin are working harder to foil the Sphinx's plans. Can they do it?
1. Chapter 1

**This is the sequel to my other story The Demon and the Fairykind. And this has nothing to do with the story, but anyone read Keys to the Demon Prison yet? I'm halfway done, and so far I hate Bracken. I don't know why, he just annoys me. I keep thinking that when he meets Kendra he'll start to like her. Again, not sure why. **

**Disclaimer: I'm not Brandon Mull. **

**-------**

Kendra's POV:

I'd just gotten home from school when Seth yelled, "KENDRA! THERE'S A LETTER FOR YOU!" I smiled and walked downstairs, where Seth was holding a white envelope with my address and no return label. I knew who it was from. Thankfully, though, Seth didn't. If he did, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

I snatched the letter from him and he gave me a look that plainly asked "_Who's it from?" _I shrugged and walked upstairs. I shut the door and flopped down on my bed, tearing the envelope open. The letter was from none other than Gavin Rose, a demon prince who had somehow turned into my secret boyfriend in Wyrmroost. I'm still not sure how it happened.

_Dear Kendra,_

_Your last letter told me that you, Seth, Mara, Trask, Tanu and some other people were heading towards Obsidian Waste sometime this month. Let me warn you, that place is dangerous. I've been there a few times before, but fortunately I've never actually been in the Dreamstone, as they call the vault. But, is there anyway I could meet you guys there without the others knowing I'm there? Because, as you know, they think I'm dead. The stingbulb thing must've been really convincing. _

I paused, thinking. I had fortunately found a stingbulb in the knapsack before Gavin had burned it under the impression he should be working for the Society. So, while Warren was still trapped down there, I had managed to fake Navarog's death.

_I miss you, too. A lot. Not only could I offer extra protection at the preserve, but I'd see you again, too. I might also be able to apologize to Mara for that little….mishap at Wyrmroost. I hope she somehow knows it was a mistake. And as for Seth…I'll try to get him to understand I'm not hurting his sister. In fact, I'd say I'm doing quite the opposite. =) _

I had to smile at that. He always knew how to cheer me up. For a demon prince, he knew how to keep a girl happy. But he went to Obsidian Waste…I might get a little distracted.

_If you have any ideas on how I could possibly meet you guys at Obsidian Waste, please do not hesitate to tell me. And if you can, tell me the date of the day you guys are leaving. Maybe I could arrange for an invisible private escort…_

_Hope you're well._

_Love,_

_Gavin. _

By now I was beaming. We'd gone from "Your friend", to "Your friend and admirer", to finally, "Love". I'd say we were doing pretty well considering we hadn't seen each other in two and a half months. But we must've sent each other a dozen letters, and I'm pretty sure Seth is getting suspicious as to who I'm writing to. But I'm still hiding the letters under my mattress, and Seth isn't smart enough to check there. I think.

I had to think of some way to get Gavin to come with us to the fourth secret preserve. Two out of five have fallen, but the fifth still remains completely unknown, so it might have fallen centuries ago. And if it did, that left Fablehaven and Obsidian Waste the only preserves to still hold artifacts. That was on reason this trip had to work. We needed to keep the artifact safe and the preserve up and running. And who better for assistance than the demon prince/dragon, Navarog?

Seth and I would be stopping by Fablehaven for a few days before actually leaving, so maybe there was an invisibility thing somewhere in the attic. I racked my brains, trying to remember any mention of such an object. I thought that maybe Grandma had mentioned an invisibility shield, but if I was wrong…well, it was worth looking for. If I could mail it to Gavin from the preserve then he could definitely come with us without anyone finding out. And if it didn't exist (I don't have the best memory) then I would have to look for something else.

I composed my reply to Gavin, stating all these ideas and returning his well-wishes, and repeatedly saying how much I wished he could come. I was just about to sign it when Seth knocked on my bedroom door and entered without me even getting up or saying he could. Which kind of made the knock seem entirely pointless.

"Grandpa just called. He says he wants us to pack our stuff, we're leaving tonight. Tanu'll be coming for us. And – hey, whatcha writing?" he walked up and made a grab for my letter. Thankfully, I have quick reflexes, so Seth grabbed empty air and hit his hand on my desk. "OW!" he yelled, shaking his hand to try to stop the pain.

"Sorry, but my letters are none of your business." I told him. He scowled. "Fine. Be that way. But if you've got some sort of secret boyfriend, I'm not letting you out of my sight." He stormed out of my room, still wincing over his hand. But I was worried. I prayed he was just kidding about the boyfriend thing.

------

Seth's POV:

I cradled my bruised hand (thanks, Kendra.) and thought about her letter. I saw that she had mentioned both Fablehaven and Obsidian Waste, along with and invisible something. If it was a regular letter to Tanu or Mara or just about anyone who knew about our upcoming mission, I should have been able to read it. That's what I thought it was about at first, because of the missing return address. But she didn't let me see it, so now I'm getting the feeling that she's telling someone else about our plans.

Kendra and I were home alone, so I walked into the kitchen and called Grandpa back. Two rings, then a "Hello?" from Grandma. "Hi, Grandma. It's Seth. Can I talk to Grandpa?" I asked. "Of course. Hold on," she answered.

"Hello? Seth? What's wrong?" Grandpa asked when he came to the phone.

"I need to know who's coming with us to you-know-where." I said.

"Why?"

"There's something I'm worried about. Now who exactly is coming?"

"Well, there's Mara, Tanu, Trask, you, Kendra, Elise, Aaron will fly the plane, and Trask's long-time friend Vincent will be coming along. Now why is this important?"

"I think Kendra's telling someone else about our plans."

I heard a sharp intake of breath from Grandpa. I waited there until he answered. "Seth," he said. "That's a pretty serious accusation. Why would you say this?"

"She got this letter today from someone with no return address, so at first I thought it was someone we knew. But then when I asked to see the letter she was writing in return, she freaked out and took it out of my sight and I hit my hand on her desk. But I saw the words 'Fablehaven', 'Obsidian Waste', and something about an invisible something-or-other." I said.

Grandpa listened quietly while I told him. After a long pause, he said "I'll look into it, Seth. If we get any letters while you two are here, we'll read them. All of them. Good day, Seth."

"Bye, Grandpa."

I hung up, feeling a little worried. If Kendra blew this for us…I didn't even want to think about it. The world doesn't need a third fallen preserve.

----

**I'm adding more chapters to this. I want to get the gang to Obsidian Waste, and I don't know why I put Seth on his guard. But this is basically my idea on how KTTDP should go, because if you haven't noticed, I'm a HUGE Gavin fan. I just think he's cooler than anyone. But, review and tell me what you think. ****I love him  
I love him  
I love him...  
But only on my own...t **


	2. An Invisible Artifact

**Aloha. I still hate Bracken. In my not-so-important opinion, he is ruining what should have been a nice relationship between Kendra and the (unfortunately) dead Gavin Rose. But, I digress. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fablehaven. **

"Are we there yet?" I heard Seth ask from the back seat of the car.

Tanu chuckled. "You keep asking, but we're still about two hours away. Try to keep yourself occupied." He turned back to the road map he was studying. "Turn left here and follow the road for a while." He instructed Elsie, who was our current driver on this long trip to Fablehaven. She nodded.

We'd been driving since early this morning, and Seth was getting antsy. I was on the verge of dying of boredom, but I tried not to let it show. I had to be good so I wouldn't get in too much trouble for stealing an invisible something- or- other. I'd figured Coulter had something; magical items were his specialty.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I had been acting more like Seth ever since Wyrmroost.

Speaking of Seth, he too was acting really weird. And I mean weird even for Seth. He never took his eyes off me. I was starting to think he'd seen some of my letter to Gavin. I didn't think so, but I had rewritten that letter to be safe. I said that he shouldn't respond to my letters because they would go to Fablehaven if he did.

I sighed. I needed something to do. Eh, maybe I'll take a nap for the rest of the ride.

I woke to the sound of a car door slamming. Tanu was shaking hands with Coulter while Elsie turned the car off. I unbuckled my seat belt and exited the car, Seth trailing behind me. Coulter helped us carry our bags into the house. When we got in, Seth and I dropped our stuff and ran to our grandparents. They were waiting for us in the kitchen with Dale. Seeing him mad me sad. Warren was still trapped in that stupid knapsack, and we couldn't get him out until we had the Translocator, which we would find at Obsidian Waste. 

The eight of us ate dinner and the adults asked us questions like 'How's school?" and stuff like that. It was pretty boring, because Seth and I aren't going to learn the details until tomorrow. But Coulter said he would be in the attic until late tonight, because he was looking for things that might aid us on our journey. If he figured out how to work them, we could bring them to Obsidian Waste.

Wow. That seemed pretty perfect to me. I could search his room for something of use to Gavin and me.

After dinner Seth and I walked around the house for a bit and finally changed into our pajamas. I sat awake in my bed for a few minutes until I was sure he had fallen asleep. Seth gets dreadfully tired on car rides because he can't bring himself to sleep while we're driving.

I silently stepped out of my bed and exited the attic. I didn't need a flashlight because of my vision, so that made it easier to leave. I walked down the hallway until I was in front of Coulter's room. As quietly as I could, I open the door just enough so I could get in, then I shut it again. I looked around the room. Wow, was it cluttered with things I had never seen before.

Knives and swords covered one part of the bedroom, while armor and maps covered another. Remotes and statuettes were all over the floor, covered by several clothing articles. I took one step forward and tripped. "OW!" I whisper-shouted, praying the thud from my fall hadn't wakened anybody.

I turned to see what I tripped on, but there was nothing there. I moved my hand around, looking for something. I felt something hard and small right where I had been standing. I couldn't see it. I pushed it over with my hand and a tiny tiki head fell over, a white glove sliding off the top.

Coulter's invisibility glove. Jackpot.

I picked up the glove and immediately vanished from view. Having what I needed, I quickly and quietly left the room, replacing the tiki head to its former position.

Once back in the attic, I pulled a sheet of paper from my suitcase, along with an umite candle and wax pen. (I had given Gavin a candle before we left the dragon sanctuary.)

_Dear Gavin,_

_I found your ticket to Obsidian Waste. I'm sending you Coulter's invisibility glove. Hopefully he won't notice it's gone, but if he does let's hope you've got it. Obviously you will if you're reading this, unless something happens. _

_We'll be boarding several planes before we get on our private one, so to make things easier I'll tell you the name of the last airport before we fly with Aaron Stone. I don't know where we'll be yet, but I'll keep you posted, promise. _

_I still miss you. I've probably said that a hundred times, but I do. I can't wait until you board that plane with us. It'll be great to talk to someone other than Seth. He finally shut up about my crush on you, but that's probably because he thinks you're dead. _

_Be seeing you. As usual, don't respond unless absolutely necessary. I can't risk it being read by anyone at Fablehaven (Sorry!). _

_Love,_

_Kendra._

I can't wait to mail this letter. I don't normally like adventures, but suddenly I felt excited and anxious. I just hope I can get this in the mail before Coulter notices he's missing an artifact.

**Was Kendra too OOC? The story wouldn't work otherwise, but I don't want to make her too un-Kendra-ish. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please no flames! **


	3. A Few Days Later

**I just finished reading Keys to the Demon Prison. It was pretty good, excluding every part where Bracken made a move on Kendra. (I am very pro-Gavin.) Also, anyone hear anything about the Fablehaven movie? I'm trying to learn as much as I can about it, but it's hard because I don't think they've started filming yet. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fablehaven.**

Normal POV:

Coulter had spent the other night scouring the attic for any useful objects. Unfortunately, he found nothing of use. This failure had led to him descending the attic steps to his bedroom earlier than expected. Everyone had still been asleep when he came down. However, he could have sworn he heard footsteps wandering about. He found no one though, so he assumed it was his imagination running wild because of this war. Stan always said he should relax a little.

That was three nights ago. In those three days and nights, Kendra, Ruth and Seth had been to town twice; Tanu had gone to meet someone at a hotel; and he himself had been all about. And that made his current problem more serious and worrisome. From inside his room, Coulter yelled –

"WHERE IS MY INVISIBILITY GLOVE?"

Stan Sorenson heard Coulter's yell and froze in his tracks. Seth had called earlier and warned him that Kendra – his very own sister – might be looking for a way to sneak somebody into Obsidian Waste. It had been a very serious accusation, but also very unlikely. Kendra was cautious and not adventurous. She wouldn't – maybe even couldn't – do something like that.

Because of his doubt, Stan hadn't told anyone about the warning. He had let both kids have the run of the house. He had even let Ruth take Kendra and Seth into town twice. And now, he was beating himself up for that.

However, he shouldn't panic. First things first: talk to Kendra.

Gavin's POV:

_Two days later: _

A letter arrived for me in the mailbox of a foreclosed house I was staying at. I'd fixed up the lawn and thrown the "FORECLOSED" sign in the backyard so no one knew I shouldn't be getting mail. I had even leaked a (false) story that the 'owners' were on vacation. There were a couple of attempted break-ins, but nothing I couldn't handle.

What I expected to be a small white envelope turned out to be a big, thick, yellow package-type letter. This could only mean one thing: Kendra got me my ticket to Obsidian Waste.

Am I happy I'm supposed to be dead. This 'going good' thing would make me lose my demon status and dragon status. I'd become a dragon outcast, like Raxtus. (Who I have a deep hatred for considering he tried to kill me.) I like not deceiving Kendra anymore, though. She's been great to me despite what I've done to her and Seth.

I opened the package and dropped the contents into my hand. Out came a letter and a glove. I scanned through Kendra's letter and smiled. She said the glove would turn me invisible as long as I had it on. I pulled the glove on my hand and sure enough, vanished from view. This idea was so crazy and risky it just might work. Now I just have to wait for when we leave.

**I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I changed Coulter's glove a bit. I made it so that the wearer is invisible as long as he has the glove on. But that aside, please R&R! thanks! **


	4. Obsidian Waste

**The last chapter was sort of a filler, I guess. Here's where the action starts to start. Please enjoy. **

**I don't own anything but the books. And even them I borrowed money for :( **

Gavin's POV:

I absentmindedly stroked Kendra's hair as she dozed on my shoulder. It was nearing dawn according to my watch, but it was still dark enough outside and inside the plane that no one could see Kendra's odd sleeping position. I was still invisible, and no one had confronted Kendra yet whenever she appeared to be talking to herself. I considered that a good sign.

I met up with Kendra and her group at one airport in Singapore, and flew with them to Perth and now to Obsidian Waste on this private jet. I've no idea how they got a jet, but it was okay by me. I hate flying coach and when I do I never sleep when I'm with strange people. Not that I need a lot of sleep, but it's nice to catch some rest.

When the sun started to come up I shook Kendra a bit and she looked up at me and blinked. She smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I didn't have the glove on, which was kind of a risk, but everyone but Aaron was asleep. Kendra always went to sleep the earliest so that she could wake up first and see me. I wasn't going to complain.

We whisper-talked for a few minutes until Trask started to stir. Kendra nudged me and I quickly slipped the glove on. This was our routine. After Trask was fully awake, he woke everyone else up. "We'll be landing in about fifteen minutes," he announced. "I've set up several spells to prevent outside eyes and ears from spying. The magic should divert anything short of the Oculus. Now would be an appropriate time to review our mission."

He looked around at everyone, and his eyes paused on where me and Kendra sat together. I had a short and sudden panic attack that he knew or suspected I was there. But his eyes wandered away from us, and I relaxed.

"Most of us have worked together before, so we'll skip introductions, though not for Vincent, who is a new face to some of us, except for me." Trask continued.

A Filipino man a few seats in front of me cleared his throat. "I'm Vincent. I'll be your guide at Obsidian Waste. Over the past ten years, I have spent several months there." Well, at least we won't be going blind, I thought.

"How do we know you're not a monster in disguise?" Seth asked. I know why he asked that. He didn't want another Gavin Rose betrayal. But since he didn't know I was alive, he couldn't feel guilty about asking in front of me.

Vincent chuckled a bit. "I know we've all been dealing with unprecedented betrayals lately. The Knights of the Dawn have never seen infiltration and upheaval like the past year has shown. But as Trask can attest, I'm a Knight to the core, have been since my teenage years, when my parents were murdered by the Society."

"Trust has been running thin lately." Trask said. "But I'd let Vincent watch my back any day. Part of the reason this particular group was assembled was because we've been through a lot together to trust each other. I have no doubts or hesitations that Vincent belongs in this circle of trust.?" Way to have the leader vouch for you, I thought bitterly. Gives you an easy way in.

Trask continued. "Our object is to retrieve the Translocator. I have withheld some of the specifics until now. We believe we understand how the artifact functions. If our intelligence is correct, the device can transport an individual to any place he/she has visited previously."

Elise raised her hand and asked if it could take any passengers.

Trask nodded. "Thanks to Vanessa and Coulter, we understand that it can transport up to three people, and their belongings. The device is a platinum cylinder, set with jewels, divided into three rotating sections. Whoever holds the center controls the artifact. They need to focus mentally on where they want to go. Each intended traveler will hold a different section."

"What if not all the passengers haven't been to the place?" Seth asked.

"Coulter thinks that only the person in the center has to have visited the location." Trask answered.

"What if you teleport into solid rock? Or a hundred feet in the air? Or in front if a speeding train?" Seth asked. I rolled my eyes. What a stupid question.

"The device carries unknowable risks, but given the sophistication of the artifacts, we can reasonably assume that the Translocator was designed to minimize those accidents."

Elise spoke again. "We enter the vault tomorrow?"

Trask nodded. "We enter the vault tomorrow."

_Fifteen minutes later _

"Welcome to Australia." Seth announced. "I expected more koalas."

"Which way to the baggage claim area?" Kendra asked.

"Not one of the fancier airports I've seen. This is more like some smuggler's hidden landing strip." Seth replied.

"What do they smuggle?"

"Boomerangs, mostly. And kangaroos. Poor little fellas."

I chuckled to myself at Seth's shot at being funny. The kid was a natural comedian.

I heard a rumble behind me and two jeeps came into view. When they came near enough to us, they stopped and the drivers hopped down. One was a young man and the other a young woman, both appearing to be in their early twenties.

"I'm Camira," the woman said to everyone. "And this is my brother Berrigan. Don't pay any attention to him; his head is full of pudding."

"At least I'm not a know-it-all with a poisonous tongue." Berrigan replied lightly.

"We're hear to escort you to the house. I suggest the ladies ride with me, or his smell will kill you." Camira went on, ignoring Berrigan.

"And I suggest the guys ride with me, or you'll arrive at Obsidian Waste with no self-esteem."

Vincent laughed and said something like how they were exactly as he left them. I wouldn't know. I've never been to Australia, and the outback was amazing, if you got past the barren landscape. A scorpion came near my foot, but I smashed it as quietly as I could so no one could hear the dead arachnid.

I rode with the girls because Kendra was there, and because there was more room. Camira hit the gas pedal hard, and sent a huge dust cloud flying behind her. The landscape was getting prettier, but as we neared the preserve I felt the distracter spell. Elise complained that we were going the wrong way, but Camira assured her she knew what she was doing. Kendra seemed completely unfazed.

Once in the preserve, we passed creatures like Thylacines, or Tasmanian tigers. There was even a Yowie. After the Yowie we came to a huge obsidian block, which could only be the vault. It wasn't hidden very well. We saw the Rainbow River, which apparently runs mostly underground, but surfaced here at the preserve. Camira was a good tour guide.

When we stopped and Berrigan's jeep caught up with us, Trask said that sEth was hearing voices.

"Like dead voices?" Kendra asked.

"Exactly," Seth said. "It's weird. They're not talking to me directly, but I can hear them murmuring, thirsting. They seem to be all around us."

"Do you have zombies buried here?" Trask asked Camira.

"I don't know much about what's buried here." She said. "We don't like to talk about the cursed ones." Berrigan nodded in agreement. "We don't usually discuss them."

The front door of the house opened. An older woman who looked to be in good shape emerged.

"Laura," Vincent called.

"Vincent. Trask. Welcome back to Obsidian Waste. Greetings to the rest of you as well. I trust you're all travel weary and ready for a rest."

"Seth says he hears the undead." Trask said.

"At least one of us has intuition." Laura said. Camira scowled.

Without warning, Laura took Berrigan's knife and stabbed Camira with it. "It's a trap!" she yelled. "Hold Berrigan, but don't hurt him. He's under the influence of a narcoblix."

Trask reacted instantly. He seized Berrigan and we all ran from the house. I seriously hadn't seen that coming. Poor Camira. We got to the jeeps and drove for the Dreamstone. I looked back and saw the house overrun with zombies, and a certain well-know viviblix standing in the middle of them: Mr. Lich. Aw, crap.

The Gray Assassin also emerged from the house, dual swords flaring and swishing about. Laura made a mad beeline for the vault with the jeep. An arrow hit a suitcase near Trask, and I saw none other than Torina Barker, a lectoblix. Geez, they had every blix and everyone else here. Must have been some attack plan.

I looked at Kendra. She looked at me. Her eyes started pleading with me, asking me to do something. I took a deep breath and pulled off my glove. Trask noticed me first and yelled, "WHAT THE-?" Everyone else looked at me, but I jumped out of the jeep and transformed into the massive black dragon I was. At full height, in full power, I could do just about anything.

I roared as loud as I could and watched the procession stop. I smiled. Too easy. In one massive breath of fire I took out half the zombies and threw the Gray Assassin back several yards. Torina and Mr. Lich looked stunned. I breathed another burst of fire and transformed back, running at full super-human speed. I caught up to the jeep in no time and ran alongside, avoiding eye contact with any of the passengers until we got to the Dreamstone. When we did, the attackers were pretty far back, trying to avoid my dragon fire.

Kendra leaped out of the jeep and I caught her in a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you." She said. The others just looked at me in sheer hatred. Laure didn't know me, but I assumed whatever she was thinking couldn't be nice. However, her next words were, "Camira betrayed us."

We all froze. Seth looked at me, as if to say _just like you did. _I sighed. This wasn't going to be fun.

**How was it? I changed some of the book dialogue because I either didn't like it or didn't feel like writing it. I didn't plan this chapter out at all. I kinda just went with it. Please R&R! **


	5. Running

**I'm officially on summer vacation. That's a good thing, cause I was all but going crazy waiting for it to finally arrive. Now I can update more! **

**Yay! **

**Disclaimer: Do I seriously look like I could be Brandon Mull? Nope, so on with the story!**

_Fablehaven _

Kendra's POV:

Laura's words sent a shocking vibration through our group. _Another _betrayal? Camira hadn't even known us. Why would she want to ruin our plans? Why would anybody want to? Couldn't they understand that the Society was trying to destroy the world? Right now, the only people who seemed to realize that were the Knights and the people in this group. And that didn't seem like enough.

"You said Berrigan was under the control of a narcoblix? Do you know which narcoblix?" I asked while shooting a quick glance in Berrigan's direction. He glared back.

"He's back at the house," Laura answered. "His name is Wayne."

I breathed a sigh of relief and beside me I felt Seth relax as well. We were both hoping that it wouldn't be Vanessa. We didn't need to be double-crossed by her twice.

Everyone was slightly crowded in the jeep, so I turned around with some difficulty to check if we were being followed. I saw no one, and I was immediately grateful for Gavin and his dragon fire. I looked at him and grinned, and he grinned back until Seth made an *ahem* sound and glared. Then he shamefully turned away.

Soon a giant obsidian tower came into view. It was completely black, but it seemed to shine like a rainbow. I said so out loud and Seth replied saying he couldn't see any color. "The stone is black," I said. "But the light reflecting off it is very colorful."

"Her eyes may perceive something ours can't," Laura said thoughtfully. "We call it the Dreamstone. It is laced with deep magic."

Gavin looked at the Dreamstone and murmured, "Wow." He looked amazed.

"Can you see the colors, too?" I asked him.

He nodded. "It's…._incredible._ I've never seen anything like it."

"Must be your dragon eyes. Dragons are known to be very perceptive," Laura said. She paused and looked at Trask. "I wish I knew you were bringing a dragon. I might have waited for a better moment to get rid of Camira."

Trask bared his teeth and mumbled, "I wish I'd known myself. I think we all deserve an explanation, wouldn't you say, Kendra?" he asked me.

I looked at my shoes, embarrassed and ashamed. Gavin jumped in and said, "How about when we're inside? It'll be a little bit more private and I'll feel better knowing we made it in."

The others looked mistrustful, and I really couldn't blame them. They all agreed, however, and the conversation dropped. I thanked Gavin for about the fifteenth time today, and he smiled and shrugged. Seth mumbled something beside me, but I didn't care enough to listen. We had just pulled up to the Dreamstone.

Tanu wrestled Berrigan out of the jeep. Trask asked Laura what exactly had happened back there.

"We were betrayed last night by Camira. Members of the Society surprised us and captured the house. They thought the threat of harming their hostages was enough to convince me to lead you into their trap."

"There are no more hostages!" Wayne, inside Berrigan, laughed. "Not after that little stunt! Your nephew is dead. So are your sister and her husband. Same with Corbin and Sam and Lois."

Again a stunned silence passed through us. Six of Laura's friends and family plus Camira were dead. Laura turned pale but spoke in a steady voice. "You would have killed them anyway. At least I managed to save some lives."

"You're all dead anyway. You're just prolonging your demise." Berrigan replied.

"Get out of him, Wayne!" Laura yelled. Gavin growled in agreement. Berrigan looked his way. "Word got around fast that you were dead, dragon-boy. Do you know how many people I'll have to tell the truth to?"

Gavin's eyes turned black and I could tell he was very close to changing. I grabbed his arm in an attempt to calm him and succeeded. He took a deep breath and looked Berrigan straight in the eyes. Berrigan flinched back a bit, and I could tell we had him scared. Gavin turned away, though, and spoke to Tanu. "How do we get him out?"

Tanu withdrew a small bottle and a needle from his satchel. Berrigan chuckled. "You going to sew me to death?"

"I can cause you plenty of pain without harming your host." Tanu said, pricking the needle to Berrigan's neck. Berrigan screamed.

"What are you doing?" Laura yelled.

Tanu removed the needle and Berrigan went unconscious. "This potion sends a message of extreme pain to the brain. It does no actual damage, just talks to the nerves." He pricked the needle against Berrigan's neck again, and got no reaction. "The narcoblix truly has withdrawn, or he would be writhing." He unstopped another bottle and waved it around under Berrigan's nose. Berrigan jerked awake. "Who are you?" he asked.

_Do we seriously look like we have time to explain this? _I thought. Gavin and Seth both sighed in frustration, too, so I could tell I wasn't alone in thinking we were on a slightly tight schedule. Seth turned to me and struck up a short conversation while Laura did introductions. He left Gavin completely out of it. I don't think Gavin minded though. He was listening to the real Berrigan and Laura. When they were finished yet another silence swept over us, but this time it wasn't a shocked one. It was one of anticipation. All we had to do now was get inside the Dreamstone. But how do we get in?

Trask cleared his throat, asking my unspoken question. Laura shrugged. "I've never been inside," she admitted. "And neither have any of the past caretakers that I know of. I'm sorry, but you're on your own. I have to go help save what's left of Obsidian Waste."

Berrigan got up to go with her but she stopped him. "Berrigan, I want you here. You need to help these people find the artifact we have hidden here. I was caretaker here, and I failed in my charge. I will not abandon Obsidian Waste. I will hear no arguments. Tell your pilot to leave while he can. Quick, on your way, we haven't a moment to spare." She said, and she ran off in the opposite direction of the Dreamstone.

I heard a distant roar from somewhere behind us, and I knew our enemies were back on the chase. We needed a way inside, fast.

~~~~~~~ _Fablehaven _~~~~~~~

**A short A/N: I just realized that if I keep the story the way it's going, I will have to eventually have Kendra and Bracken meet. If you have an idea on how that should go, cause I will have Gavin in there, please tell me. And you don't have to do it now, just as I get closer to that part. Thanks! **


	6. Problems in the Dreamstone

Kendra's POV:

Trask found an indentation in the seemingly smooth Dreamstone wall. He inserted the top half of our strange key, twisting it around until it clicked. A slightly smaller key was nestled inside the bottom half.

"It's like a matryoshka doll," Elise murmured.

"A what?" Seth asked.

"Those wooden Russian dolls hat fit inside each other."

"Oh, right."

"Where's the door?" I asked. The key had turned, but no door had appeared.

"I'm not sure," Laura said.

"Is there a second keyhole? This one has teeth on top just like the first." Trask said.

Berrigan shook his head. "Everything else is smooth."

"Or was smooth," Tanu mused. "Opening the first lock may have created a second keyhole elsewhere."

"I see nothing from here," Mara called from a few feet away. "We should examine the whole Dreamstone."

Laura rushed to the jeeps. "I'll go left, some of you go right. Honk if you find an opening."

Trask drove the other jeep, and Seth, Tanu, Vincent and Mara climbed in. Naturally, I wasn't about to enter that jeep because most of the occupants were seething over Gavin's return. Gavin and I piled into Laura's jeep instead, which just had her, Berrigan, and Elise. None of them knew who Gavin really was. Well, maybe Elise did, but she made no signs of showing that she did.

We scanned every part of the Dreamstone that we could see. The other jeep came into view soon, with Mara pointing at something. There was no reason to honk; we were right here. Both jeeps met in front of a tunnel.

"The first key did open a door; just on the far side of the Dreamstone," Berrigan said.

"The next keyhole will be somewhere inside," Trask replied. "Make ready."

I decided to join Seth. He was the last person I wanted mad at me. "Having fun yet?" I asked him.

"A little. I'm excited for the zombies to catch up. The best part so far was running them over while they were scrambling to avoid -" He stopped himself and glared at Gavin. I was pretty mad that he hated Gavin so much. I wish I knew why. Well, okay, it probably has to do with the Shadow Plague. I'll admit: _I_ was pretty pissed at him for that. But Fablehaven was okay now, or at least, as okay as it can be in the middle of a war.

Anyway, Seth should be grateful that the dragon fire had set the zombie army back so far. And, heck, dragons had other powers that could come in handy.

"Seth," I said as we attempted to enter the very narrow entryway. And when I say narrow, I mean narrow and _small. _That door was barely big enough for me to walk through.

"What?"

"You should be a little more thankful. Gavin probably set them really far back."

Seth didn't answer at first. Instead, he watched Laura speed away on her jeep as she attempted to slow the oncoming enemies. He didn't answer until both of us were inside, with Elise following us and Gavin in front of me.

"Thankful?" he asked in a deadly even voice. "He threw Fablehaven into a deadly plague, attacked us at Wyrmroost, _killed_ Dougan, and you want me to be _thankful_?" His voice went up at the last word, and the slight echo in the corridor made everyone turn around and look at us. It wasn't dark in here; in fact, there was a strange glow to the place. We had lit no flashlights.

"That's not what I meant -"

"I don't care what you meant! The point is, you let someone who has been working for the Society for _centuries _come with us on this mission! What the _heck _were you thinking?"

"I'd like to know that myself, Kendra," Tanu said. The others nodded. Vincent and Berrigan had expressions of pure confusion on their faces.

"He changed," I said. I glanced at Gavin and he half-smiled. Guess he felt pretty bad that we were talking about him like he wasn't here.

"Demons don't change – "

"I wasn't _born _a demon, Trask."

Gavin's words caused a good amount of silence. He was right, though. He wasn't born a demon. He was born a dragon. A very powerful dragon that made some pretty bad decisions. Just because he was the demon prince didn't mean he was a full demon.

"We should keep walking," I said. "They're probably not too far behind us now."

Nobody nodded, but nobody disagreed. They simply turned around and resumed walking. Gavin walked beside me now, because the corridor was spacing out. He took my hand and squeezed it. "Thank you," he whispered.

I smiled. "No problem."

After several minutes of bad tension, Trask spoke. "What have we here?"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Vincent yelled.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Seth answered. "Nothing but a dead end."

~~~~~~~_Fablehaven_ ~~~~~~~

**I'm sorry if there was some confusion about the amount of jeeps in this chapter and the last one. I made a mistake; there are two, not one. Sorry again if that caused you any confusion. **


	7. Statues

**I recently discovered that while there is plenty of evidence and scenes for Bracken/ Kendra, there are very few for Gavin/ Kendra. But the most prominent one (in my opinion) is pg. 445 of Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. So if you like GxK as much as I do, go check it out. You probably know the passage. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fablehaven. But if I did, you probably wouldn't recognize the story. **

_**Fablehaven **_

Kendra's POV:

Over and over again we walked back and forth through the corridor. Every time we made it from one end to another, though, we would hit a dead end. As impossible as it sounded, that was what happened. It seemed like we were retracing our steps, except the corridor would change slightly each time. Every once in a while Mara would say that the place seemed different, and that we were making some sort of progress. Berrigan pointed out that we left the real world behind; that this place was unnatural and we should not feel surprised. Vincent said he was feeling claustrophobic.

Everyone agreed with Vincent.

I felt a great deal of comfort knowing that Gavin was right beside me. The passageway wasn't nearly as narrow as before, so we could easily walk together. I'm sure Gavin would have held my hand if Seth hadn't been on my other side, watching his every move with the same intensity the FBI watches homicidal maniacs. I wouldn't be surprised if that was Seth's opinion of Gavin: a homicidal maniac. I think the only reason Seth didn't attack him was because we would probably need a dragon's aid in this mission. Who knew what we would encounter in here?

Finally, after what seemed like hours, we entered a room. An actual room, too, not just a big corridor. The room had only a huge, club-holding statue; a big pile of greenish clay; and a circular indentation in the middle of the floor.

"No doors," Vincent said, "but the keyhole in the floor looks to be the right size."

"What's with all the clay?" Seth asked. "It's wet."

"Could it be for drawing?" I guessed. "A huge, prehistoric doodle pad? Like for mapmaking?"

Vincent shrugged. "Who knows? I don't see any instruments for drawing."

"What do you suppose would happen if we backtracked from here?" Trask asked.

"More dead ends," Mara said gravelly. "I don't believe this place allows us to go back. Can't you feel it? Each dead end cuts off our retreat, luring us in deeper, as if we're being swallowed."

"This isn't helping my claustrophobia," Vincent mumbled. I nodded in agreement.

Gavin chuckled. "At least we're not still caught in the passageways. I'd rather be somewhere than nowhere."

"We could double back to check," Mara continued, "but I'm not sure we'll get another chance to reach this room. The keyhole must be the way to proceed."

Tanu shouldered forward. "The rest of you wait here." He walked to where the floor had the indentation, fiddled with the key until he had it in right, and turned.

The floor vibrated, and my first thought was that it would collapse altogether, and send us falling until we hit some sort of ground. Thankfully, that wasn't what happened. Water began pouring into two basins on either side of the statue. The statue moved, too: it raised its club as if preparing to strike. I automatically flinched backward, and this time Gavin did hold my hand. His expression told me he was wary of the statue now as well. And from the looks of everyone else, we weren't the only ones.

"Look at the clay!" Seth shouted, snapping my gaze away from the statue. "Writing!"

I looked over, and sure enough, there were words. I saw English a bunch of times, which told me that it wasn't written in English at all. Gavin raised his eyebrows, so he could probably make out something, too. The languages I couldn't read were most likely the ones he was seeing. Being about two thousand years old, he told me, he picked up a few things. "Create a champion," We both read. "Time is short."

"You read Sanskrit?" Vincent asked. "Or Chinese?"

Hmm. I was right. No English. "I see English. And some scribbles." Gavin nodded in agreement.

"Must be a fairy language," Trask said.

"Or a demon language," Seth spat.

Gavin turned around and glared at him. "Or maybe one was written in a _dragon _language."

"Enough, you two," Trask commanded. "The message repeats in several languages. What does it mean?"

"The basins must be clepsydras," Elise said. "Water clocks."

"The clay," Vincent gasped, running over to the pile near us. "It has to be the clay. This is a whole pool of the stuff. A pit. I think we have to build a champion to contend with that statue over there."

"I was a failure in art class," Trask murmured. "Who knows how to work with clay?"

"I have some experience," Elise offered.

"As do I," Mara said.

"Mara and Elsie will shape our warrior. Everyone else will dig clay out for them. How much time do we have? " Trask directed.

Mara dashed across the room. After considering the water, she said, "About ten minutes. Maybe eleven, if the water falls at the same rate."

_Great, _I thought as I heaved out some clay, _Not only do we have to build a fighting statue, we're being timed. And we were already being timed. We only have so much longer until whoever was at the house catches up to us. _

"What do we want him to look like?" Elise asked.

"Make him look like Hugo," Seth answered from the pit. "Not pretty, just big."

"I like that," Trask agreed. "Build him sturdy, with thick arms and legs. Bigger than the other statue of we can."

"We'll have to make him lying down, otherwise he won't hold together." Mara said.

And they began sculpting. The rest of us kept giving them lots of clay to work with. The clay was really heavy. It took all my strength just to pick up some of it. The clay got firmer the farther we dug down, and Berrigan was using his knife to remove the slabs. He was moving pretty fast, second only to Gavin, who was using his super strength and speed to get the clay from one place to another in record time. I found myself staring at him at one point, but snapped out of it when Seth '_accidentally_' hit me in the arm with a bunch of clay.

After about five minutes Vincent went to check the time. "Over half full," he announced. "I'd better help with the sculpting if we want him to be big enough." And sure enough, when he got back he went right to work fixing our champion. He started working on a huge hammer, and Tanu came over to add to the body. Mara and Elise were working on arms.

We carried on like that for a few more minutes, and by then my arms felt like they were going to fall off. So I was pretty glad when Vincent sent me to check the time. "Getting really full," I reported. "About seven-eighths. We only have a couple minutes left."

"Berrigan and Gavin can keep digging out clay. Everyone else should work on the warrior. We have lots of clay piled, get it over here! We'll want a shield for the left arm, and thicken up those legs. Make the feet bigger for stability. Hurry!" Vincent barked out orders. I figured I'd be of more help keeping track of the time, so I stayed by the basins. "About fifteen seconds!" I called, panic creeping into my voice.

"Get away from the statue!" Gavin yelled. I raced back to our clay figure and started to help shape it.

"Don't stress on the head!" Vincent ordered. "I like him without much neck. More sturdy. Add to the shoulders! Quickly!"

Mara started to work on the face, and as soon as she placed the nose on, the water lapped over the basin. As soon as I heard the water hit the floor, a sudden gust of wind came in the room. I staggered to stay upright. As soon as it came, however, the wind was gone. The big green statue walked out of his alcove. Our statue stood up, no longer composed of clay, but composed of the same green stone as the other statue.

"He should have a name," Mara said.

"Goliath," Elise suggested.

"I like it. What should we call the other statue?" Trask asked.

"Nancy," Seth quickly responded. Gavin, Vincent and Trask all chuckled. The rest of us just cracked a smile, too worried to laugh.

When Goliath stood up, you could easily tell that he wasn't as tall as Nancy. He had no neck. And his arms were pretty short. His one leg was taller than the other and his toes were misshaped. He looked like a big green blob with limbs. He was kind of funny to look at, compared to the intricately shaped Nancy. I wondered what would happen if we won, and what would happen if we lost.

"Can we help Goliath?" Seth asked.

"I don't think arrows and sword will do much," Trask answered. "If I had brought a sledgehammer, it might be a different story."

"Couldn't we provide distractions?" Elise asked.

"We might end up providing the wrong kind of distractions. The guardian statue might use our welfare to bait Goliath and force mistakes. Let's see how our champion faces. His bulk might give him a shot." Trask told her. She nodded and joined us in watching the fight.

Goliath and Nancy circled each other, Nancy being much more balanced. When the first strike came, it was from the enemy statue, and his club was cut in half. Goliath swung his shield and hit Nancy with a thundering _CRACK. _Seth cheered, and I really wished he didn't, because Nancy threw the remaining part of his club at him. I was so thankful Gavin tackled him to the ground and out of the way. They both remained on the floor, obviously too afraid to get up.

Nancy proved impossible for Goliath to hit, but that didn't mean he didn't try. He swung his hammer all around, but Nancy just dodged. Finally, contact came when Goliath Smashed half of Nancy's head off. I almost cheered like Seth had, but I remembered what happened to him. I didn't need a club flung at my head.

Nancy kicked Goliath in the leg, and our champion went sprawling. His hammer got taken away from him, and Nancy used it to smash Goliath's head off. Somehow he managed to get up, but Nancy swung the hammer down and broke off the bottom of Goliath's arm. I was about to cover my eyes when I noticed something. Where Nancy had originally stood, there was an indentation. Another keyhole.

"We're dead." Vincent moaned.

"I suppose, if Goliath fails, I could take over." Gavin offered.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but would you mind?" Trask asked.

Gavin smiled. "Nope. I took out that hydra back at the sanctuary, remember? This thing's just stone. I'd jump in now, but I want to see if I'll be needed. I'd rather not phase; puts me in a different state of mind, and trust me, you probably wouldn't like it."

Trask nodded. "Understandable, I suppose."

"Um, guys?" I said. They turned to face me. "Keyhole," I pointed.

"Bless you," Trask said. Taking the key from Tanu.

"I can run faster," Mara said.

"Not carrying a forty-pound key, you aren't." Trask replied. He raced into the room, carrying the key like a football. Nancy spotted him immediately. He dashed after Trask, but Trask swerved from side to side, and barely missed the statue's hands as it dove for him. Goliath managed to crawl across the floor like some sort of crab, and pounced on Nancy before he-or she- could get up. He held the enemy statue in a tight grip, and Trask was able to fit the key in the indentation.

Nancy and Goliath became dust instantly. A green cloud came from the clay pit, and the clay was replaced by stairs. We had won.

"I'd say our key is now less than thirty pounds," Trask said, holding up the pineapple key like a trophy.

"Having fun yet?" I asked Seth.

"Watching giant statues pound each other into gravel? I can think of nothing more beautiful." He responded.

Gavin laughed- an actual laugh- and I rolled my eyes. So typical Seth.


End file.
